Texas Democrats nominate Wendy Davis for governor

By The Associated Press |
Posted - Mar 4th, 2014 @ 7:11pm

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat Wendy Davis has become the first female gubernatorial nominee in Texas since former Gov. Ann Richards.

The Fort Worth state senator formally clinched her party's nomination Tuesday night. She headlines a Democratic ticket that in November will seek the party's first statewide victory since 1994, which was also Richards' last year in office.

Neither Davis nor her Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, faced a competitive primary. Gov. Rick Perry is not seeking re-election after a record 14 years in office.

The 50-year-old Davis became a national Democratic star last summer with a nearly 13-hour filibuster over new abortion restrictions. Her fundraising outpaced Abbott in the last half of 2013 but she's still considered a heavy underdog.

Political unknown Reynaldo Madrigal was the only other Democrat on the ballot.